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Participation of Stakeholders in Sustainable Development: An Official Policy

The world leaders and decision makers have recognized the importance of multi-stakeholder partnership and have been enjoining nations and peoples to adapt this in their various initiatives and respective contexts. The basic rationale for partnership among stakeholders are:

the inextricable link between environment and other dimensions of development such as economic, social and political; and

the need for people to have a sense of ownership of any development endeavour.

In the 1992, UNCED, the world leaders made sure that the Summit's resulting program of action, Agenda 21, would promote participation, partnership and consensus among stakeholders in the pursuit if sustainable development. Among others,

Section III of Agenda 21 calls on "major groups" to get involved in decision-making processes in its implementation.

Chapter 37 promotes participatory dialogue in attaining national consensus in implementing Agenda 21.

Chapter 8 stresses the need to adopt national strategies for sustainable development that benefited from widest participation.

From these policies, countless recommendations and resolutions urging participation by the civil society and other stakeholders in pursuing sustainable development have been put forward in global, regional and local conferences and documents. Various governments and multi-lateral and bilateral organizations have likewise made it their policy to form partnership with civil society in the pursuit of their mandates and programs.

See Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development 2001 - 2005

III. B. Role of the private sector, civil society and local government

IV. B. Involvement of non-governmental organizations, the private sector and other major groups

See also Various issues to be considered in participatory approaches

Link to relevant topics in other modules:

• Taking account of stakeholders in forming national positions for international negotiations? (in Module 3)
• Institutional mechanisms to incorporate stakeholders? (in Module 4.C)

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